Wind Up Radio

[durulz]

Don't know about you, but sometimes I like to have the radio on (real sucker for Any Questions on Radio 4) when out camping.
Anyway. I have a small radio, but it takes batteries. I want to replace it with a wind up radio. Not really interested in one of those combination radio/torch/mobile phone charger ones, just a plain radio on its own. Size is really important. Smaller the better.
Do any of you have one - and if so, how much was it and where did you get it?
Something off the high street would be best, just because it's easier to get hold of.
You get the idea.
Cheers for help.

 

[addo]

Ive got the all singing and dancing eton SW Water resist, and a Smaller Battery one by them also. If your after a small wind up FM/AM ive seen them quite cheap all over, but especially in the Christmas gift sections of boy toy gifts like at next, bhs,m&s when their reducing prices from around the eve and after the big day.

 

[demographic]

Bit of lateral thinking but...

Next time you buy a mobile phone, get one thats got a built in radio and camera just for good measure, that way you can take photos for plant identification and also have access to the radio.

Most Sony Ericsons do that and they are very small indeed, rechargable and even play MP3s is you so desire.
If you ask around you might know someone who hasd an old one going cheap or even for nothing.

Every windup radio I have ever seen so far has been pretty crap, not saying they are all like that but just the ones I have seen on site being wound up for a minute or more then manage to run for a whole half hour or so before needing it again.

They often seem to last about a month before being launched into the skip.

 

[crazydave]

if the radio takes the same AA batteries as everything else then why not get a small solar charging pack or even just take normal rechargables away with you. my lil dab eats batteries so rechargables are the only way to go.

 

[JonnyP]

Every windup radio I have ever seen so far has been pretty crap, not saying they are all like that but just the ones I have seen on site being wound up for a minute or more then manage to run for a whole half hour or so before needing it again.

They often seem to last about a month before being launched into the skip.

Fully agree, they are crap.. I had a freeplay one and the spring kept comming off and the rubber band thingy broke too so mine went skip bound too... I use a little radio I got free with the dehydrater I bought from westfalia. It has solar power (though that only works when the sun is out fully, when a cloud comes over, the radio dies), but it is good on battery power..
Best radio I have is a makita one for the building site, the sound is amazing, but it is not good for the backpack.

 

[Ogri the trog]

I had an Argos item for years,
One of the early wind-up/solar/battery jobs. From memory I only put one set of batteries in it to get it to work and probably replaced the single rechargeable (as the charge accumilator, the other two were normal and never were replaced) about twice in five years. It sat on the window sill of my old caravan nd I never had to resort to winding it up to get a sound out of it. On the downside it was a little bulky for carrying around and was fitted with a torch and an LCD clock. The channels seemed to get swamped by whichever radio station was the closest as the charge diminished as well.
I'd certainly go for a solar style again but something smaller would be better than the item I had.

ATB

Ogri the trog